Canada Day Cake Recipes

CANADA DAY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease a 9 x 13-in. (3 L) baking pan and use a couple tablespoons of the flour to dust the pan; shake out excess. In bowl, stir rest of the flour with baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, beat butter and sugar using electric mixer on medium speed for about 2 min., until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, incorporating each fully before adding next one. Beat in vanilla.
• With the mixer on low, alternately add the dry mixture in 3 parts with the milk in 2 parts, starting and ending with the dry mixture. Scrape the bowl as needed between additions.
• Scrape batter into prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bake 30 to 35 min. or until a tester comes out clean when inserted into centre of cake. Let stand 10 min. before turning cake onto wire rack to cool completely.
• Just before serving, beat cream with icing sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread evenly on top and sides of cake.
• Cut raspberries in half lengthwise. Overlapping slightly, arrange 1/2 the raspberries, cut-side down, in the shape of a maple leaf in the centre of the cake. Tip: To avoid spaces between raspberries, slightly overlap the berry edges. Arrange remaining raspberry halves in three rows on each side of maple leaf. Serve immediately.

CANADIAN FLAG CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 11X17-inch baking pan with 1-inch high sides.
• Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar and butter together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat one egg at a time into the butter mixture; beat in sour cream and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.
• Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. With mixer at low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk just until combined. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl and finish mixing with a rubber spatula. Pour batter into prepared pan; spread to corners of pan and smooth top with a spatula.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool cake completely, about 30 minutes. To remove cake from pan, run a paring knife between cake and pan. Cover cake pan with plate or cooling rack; invert to transfer cake onto plate.
• Beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract together in a bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low; slowly pour in cream. Once cream is incorporated, turn mixer speed to medium-high; beat until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes.
• Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over top and sides of cake, smoothing the top. Place 2 to 3 rows of overlapping strawberry slices parallel to short sides of cake for the two red stripes of the Canada flag. Trace out a maple leaf shape in center of cake with a toothpick; use points of strawberry slices to create points of maple leaf. Cut a strip of strawberry for the leaf stem; fill in the area of the maple leaf with sliced strawberries. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve.